Rotary blotter



Patented Nov. 25, 193() r4UNITEDl STATES t fno'rAiiY t Application filed.Tune 7, My invention relates to so called rotary blotters, namelyblotting appliances in which the absorbent blotter is disposed asacylindrical surface and `adapted to be rolled" over `the .paper on`which the ink is to be blotted.

lVith such rotary blotters, the absorbed ink gradually spoilstheeffectiveness of the outer blotting surface, so that provision `mustbe made for presenting freshjblotter parts, uni less the effective iiseofthe rotary blotter is to` be limited to so short aperiod oftime asVwould be out of `proportion to the .cost of the blotting appliance.- For'thispurpose, it has heretoforebeen customary to mount a series `olconcentrically curved blotters on a carrier roll, but the arrangementsfor rigidly secur t ing the consecutive blotters toeach other.` andtothe roll have been such as to produce nonabsorbent or rough `portionslon the successively exposed'blotters, or havecaused parts Y of theexposed blotter to project radially beyond otherparts, or otherwise haveinvolved a damaging of the freshlyexposed blotter.

Hao

:ofthese objections, and inits general aspects i includes these objects:j

\ which will permit each of a plurality of blotters to present acomplete and substantially cylindrical blotting surface and which will`not impair the surface of adjacent blotters.

(l) Providing blotter` manipulating means which will require scarcelyany space bey ndV that needed for the blotters and which will permit aconvenient handling of the blotting appliance.. Y l.

(2) j Providing blotteresecuring `means (.3) Providing blotter-securingmeans so arranged that they can easily be ruptured by the insertion ofany small pointed objects beposed blottingfsurfaces.

Y tion of Figs, showing the use of a pin point it 1,782,792 y1LL1No1s,"AssIGiioR Torrita froYj'riNxnRs, j v

A conromi'rioiv or i'nmivors' morren 1929. lseriali No. 369,048.

s tweenthe` abutting ends of the blotter with which the securingmeansare associated. v `(4) Arranging the securing means foritheconcentricblotters sothat they will not mate-lv i rially affect thecylindricalshape of thefex- N P ATENTQFFICE cHARLiisiir-iMILToN PAJEAU,or GLENooE, Y INC., oF Evaivs'roiv, iLLINQIs,

(5). Providing a simplefand-r-ineizpensive method of assembling thethussecured blot-` ters on a carrier roll. J

VProviding a novel-carrier iroll -`con` c structioniforirotary blotters.i

and from: the `accompanying drawings, in which bodying my invention.`

Fig. 2 is a plan view #of the same rotary .Still further and also moredetailedects i l will appear from the following specificationI j ersl iFig. lis an end view ofarotaryblotter envi-1 i blotter, with :dottedlines showing portions of a hand a'siit appears When4 manipulating therotary blotter.

line- 3-3. of Fig.` 1.

Fig. 4 `is i an enlarged taken along the line 4l-4 ofFig. 2. i .i

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the parts of the Y Fig. 3 is a centralsectiontaken longitudi-` nally of the same rotaryfblotter, along thetransverse section,

abutting end portions of one of the jblotter i tubes, with dotted linesshowing the sealing strip whichiconnects these ends. f

Fig. `6 is an interior elevation of the same 1 blotter parts asFig. 5. if f .1

Fig. 7 is an enlargementofithe upper por-` for rupturing oneofthesealing strips. j y

Fig. 8v is a perspective View,` showing the inner tube with an adhesivestrip laid on it,` and with a blotter sheetready to be `affixed to theadhesive strip. i. .i Y

In the illustrated embodiment, my rotary blotter includesjas its carriermember a cylindrical-tube l-(which may be of thick paper) clampedbetweenv two metal end pieces` Each of these end pieceshas its inainandinner portion 3 oifset inwardly of the carrier through which a Vcentral`shaft2 extends. t j

member and connected to its fiat annular edge j portion l by atubularportion 5 which fits tightlyinto the adjacent end of the tuberi,and each end `piecehas a central perforation j through which the shaft 2projects. Fitted on each projecting end of the shaft 2 and coaxial withthe shaft is a knob 6 which desirably has its outer end face concaved,so as to afford a good ingerliold.

Surrounding` the roll l are a plurality of blotter tubes, the inner ofwhich (blotter 7) snugly houses the roll, while each of the otherblot-ter tubes (8, 9, l0) snugly houses the blotter tube inside it. Eachof these blotter tubes consists of a sheet of blotting papercorresponding in length to the circumference of the surface surroundedby it, this sheet being curved so that the ends of the sheet abutagainst each other.

To retain eachV blotter in such curved disposition, I dispose a strip 1lof thin paper between the end portions of the blotter and the surfacearound which the blotter is wrapped, and paste this strip tol the saidend portions of the blotter; however, I leave the said strip unsecuredto the surface around which the blotter is wrapped', as for example byemploying a. paper strip whichis gummed only on its outer face.

To manufacture the rotary portions of my blotting applianceseconomically, I desirably start with stiff paper tubes and gummed paperstrips many times as long as one of the proposed rolls, and with blottersheets of corresponding width. Then I lay one guinmed paper strip ll onthe tube l as shown in Fig. 7, with the guimned face of the strip upwardand nioistened and with the strip extending longitudinally of the saidtube. Next I wrap the inner blotter around the tube so that its endportions both overlap the gummed strip and abut against each other, andpress these end portions tightly against the gummed strip. With the nextblotter 8, I proceed in a similar manner, but start with a gummed strip11A seated on the blotter previously clamped upon the tube, andpreferably with this second strip 11A displaced rotationally of the rollby a considerable angle from the previously applied strip 11. By thusdistributing the successive strips 1l rotationally of the tube l, and bypreferably disposing these strips in uniformly spaced locations, and byalso employing thin paper for the strips, I produce a long blotting rollassembly in. which the interposing of these strips does not materiallyalter the cylindrical exterior shape of the faces of the blotters.

This roll assembly is then cut to the desired lengths, to eacli of whichthe` two end caps, the shaft and the two manipulating knobs are attachedas shown in Fig. 3. Then my appliance, as thus assembled, is to be used,the two knobs 6 are gripped by the user, desirablybetween the thumb l2and the middle finger 13 of one hand, as shown in Fig. 2. The coiicavingof the outer knob ends not only makes this it the linger tips readily,but also insures a gripping of a considerable surface portion by eachlinger tip, thereby making it easy for the user to lift and to roll myrotary blotter while only lightly gripping these knobs. rIhusconstructed, my assembled appliance requires hardly any more packingspaceV than the blotter roll alone, as I avoid the need of theheretofore employed forked handles, and my blotting appliance alsooccupies onlyV a small space in a desk drawer.

By forming each of the concentric tubular blotter members from a sheetof blotting paper corresponding in length to the circumference of thesurface around which that sheet is wrapped, I permit the ends of thesheet to abut, so that the resulting tube presents no gap of suiiicientwidth to interfere with an effective blotting of inkv by the endportions of the blotting sheet. However, the ininut-e longitudinal gapatfthe outer surface of eachv blotter tube (between the ends of theblotter sheet from which that tube was formed) affords a guide forindicating the position of the retaining strip which is gumnied to theinner face of that sheet.

IVhen the outer blotter tube has served its purpose, the retaining stripassociated with it can readily be cut or torn by inserting any thin andsharp object (such as the tip of a knife blade, pin or needle) in thisgap, after the manner shown in Fig. 7, and moving this cutting ortearing tip for the entire. length of the gap (or effective slit) in theblotter tube. In practice, each paper retaining strip can be both thinand frail, so that it can be severed in this manner with solightapressure as not to cause any material indenting of the blotterwhich is inward of the strip; and soon as the used blotter tube has thusbeen severed, it readily springspopen and slips ofi' the remainder ofthe blotting roll.

To insure a longitudinal centeriiior of the blotting roll on the cariiermember, J.. desirably make each` of the metal end pieces of a diameterslightly greater than that of the carrier tube l, so that these endswill extend alongside the innermost blotter tube 7 for a part of thethickness of the latter. By assembling the gummed strips and the blottersheets on the tubing as heretofore described,

I can readily draw the ends of each lotter sheet toward each other, sothat the resulting' blotter tube tightly surrounds the next inwardblotter tube and clamps a retaining strip between them, thereby insuringa rigid assembly.

For use in the average hand, I desirably provide my blotter tubes iii alength (or effective blotting width) not exceeding about two inchesanddesirably have the knobs 6 project slightly longitudnally of myrotary blotter beyond the end pieces. I also desirabl)Y wedge theseknobs on the shaft 2 and leave the shaft free to rotate in the said endpieces, so that the shaft and knobs remain as a rigid los unit duringthe rolling of the expos-ed blotting surface over a paper which is to beblotted.

However, I do not wish to be limited to these or other details oftheconstruction and arrangement above disclosed, since many changes mightbe made without departing i. either from the spirit of my invention orfrom the appended claims.

. I claim as my invention:

al. A rotary blotter comprising a carrier having a cylindrical outerwall, a plurality of blotters successively wrapped around the saidcarrier Wall, each blotter presenting a cylindrical outer face andhavingits ends in abuttingrelation to each other, and retaining strips eachextendng across the abutting end portions of one of theblottersinteriorly of that blotter and secured only to that `blotter.

2. rotary blotter comprising a carrier having a cylindrical outersurface, a rupturable strip of material bearing against the said outersurface but not secured to the carrier, `and a blotter curved around thebody the said strip.

and having its end portions abutting against each other and secured tothe outer face of f 3.` A `rotaryblotter comprising a carrier having acylindrical outer surface, a plurality of blotters consecutivelysurrounding the said outer surface, eachblotter having its endsabutting, the juncture ofthe ends being out of alinement in consecutiveblotters, and retaining strips each secured only to the inner faces ofboth end portions of one of the blotters.

4. In a-rotary blotter, a blotter-carrier member comprising acylindrical tube of a length readily spanned by two fingers of a humanhand, two centrally perforated end caps respectively tightly fitted intothe ends of the tube, a shaft extending through the central perforationsin the end caps and rotatable in the said caps, and knobs respec tivelymounted on the ends of the shaft exteriorly of the end caps.

5. In a rotary blotter, a blotter-carrying member comprising acylindrical tube; two centrally perforated end caps each including atubular portion fitted into one end of the` tube and a rim portionengaging oneend of the tube, and a head extending across the ini ner endof the tube, a shaft extending through the central perforations in theend caps and rotatable'in the said caps; and knobs .respectively securedto the ends ofthe shaft exte- H riorly of the end caps, each knobbearing against the head of one cap, whereby the two knobs hold theshaft against `longitudinal sliding.

6. vrotary blotter comprising a substantially cylindrical carriermember, a paper strip bearing against the cylindrical surface of thecarrier member and extending longii tudinally of the carrier member andhaving a nonfadhesive'innersurface,I and a blotterwrappedaroundthecarrierimember and presenting abutting endnportion's overlapping and:being `pasted to the outer face ofthe `paper strip; a secondpaper stripbearing against the`A outer face of the blotterand spacedcircumferentially ofthen carrier mein` ber from the abutting ends of theblotter and` a second blotterwrappedf around the first named blotter andhavingiits end portionsl abutting eachother, the said endlportions oflable strip of paper extending across and adhesively secured to the`inner faces of the abutting end portions of one of the blotters.

8. A rotary blotting appliance comprising a plurality of concentric andcontiguous tubes; each tube consisting of a. flat blotter curved topresent its tips in abutment, and a relatively thin strip of paperpasted to and overlapping the inner, faces of the Vends of the blotter.Y i i 9. A rotary blotting appliance comprising a plurality ofconcentric tubes of blotting Cav i paper consecutively and snuglyhousing one another, and a roller snugly housed by the innermost of thesaid tubes; each of the concentric tubes comprising a sheet` of`blotting paper curved to `present its tips in abutment and a strip ofpaper adhesively secured to the inner faces of both ends of thesaidcurved sheet; each such strip being clamped, by the tube of which itforms a part, to the element i snugly housed'by that tube, but being'otherwise unsecured to such snugly housed ele-` ment.

ter-carrying member comprising a cylindrical tube, two centrallyperforated end caps respectively fitted into the endsof the tube i i VVl0. In a rotary blotting appliance, a blotand each presenting `its caphead longitudinally inward of the tube fromthe adjacent end of the tube;a shaft extending through the central perforations in the end caps androtatable in the said caps; and knobs respectively mounted on the endsof the shaft exteriorly of and respectively adjacent to the end caps,each knob presenting its outer` end beyond the outer faces of theadjacent end cap the said knob ends being so spaced as to be grasped bythe thumb and a Enger of one hand of the user, so that the said shaftand knobs will serve as the sole means for lifting and manipulating theappliance.

11. A rotary blotting appliance compris ing a plurality of concentrictubes of blotting paper consecutively and snugly housing one another; aroller snugly housed by the innermost of the said tubes, the rollerincluding end portions projecting radially of the roller alongside theends of the innermost tube for a distance less than the thickness ofthat tube; and knobs projecting axially of the roller beyond the ends ofthe said tubes, the knobs being rotatable With respect to the roller.. y

Signed at Evanston7 Illinois, May 29th, 1929.

CHARLES HAMILTON PAJEAU.

